Prayers Up for Sandi Shore Gaona

12/05/2023

Sandi Shore Gaona is getting her day at the beach in Destin. RIP my bff.

15/01/2023

For those of you who didn’t make it . . . 🎷🎶💕

15/01/2023

Thank you to everyone who showed up for Sandi yesterday and for those who showed up in spirit. I felt Sandi’s presence and the outpouring of love from everyone. I think we made Sandi proud! 🙏❤️😊

06/01/2023

Sandi Shore Gaona, age 64, of Carrollton Texas passed away on October 15, 2022, after courageous and lengthy battles with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, COPD and other illnesses. She fought bravely through six months of intensive chemotherapy. Her ex-husband, Dave, was at her side and helped her through the worst of it. The celebration of her last chemo treatment in June was short-lived. She required emergency surgery shortly thereafter from which, in her weakened state from the heavy doses of chemo, she was unable to recover. She was set free from all pain, suffering and earthly torment early on a bright sunny Saturday morning in October. Despite the excruciating and constant pain she endured for at least ten months prior to her passing, Sandi used her sense of humor to cope. She was one of the most colorful, gregarious, and at times outrageous people ever, and her “Super Power” was her cheerful attitude despite her difficulties. She loved life, little babies, the colors yellow and pink and her kitty cat “Baby Girl”; she loved her sons David and Max with all her heart. Most of all she loved making others laugh and helping us all “lighten up” and “simmer down” so that we could find the humorous side of life.

Sandi was born November 26, 1957, in Sioux City Iowa, but her parents quickly returned to Oklahoma/Texas to get out of the snow (Sandi downplayed being from Iowa as she was a Proud Texan most all of her life!). A die-hard Cowboys fan, she was absolutely thrilled when her son Max sent her a video of himself with former Dallas Cowboy Drew Pearson sending her get well wishes last summer. She graduated from WT White in 1976 and was practically a legend to all who knew her. In 1986, Sandi married David J. Gaona and lived in Carrollton, where they raised their two boys, David A. and Max. She worked at various restaurants and retail establishments throughout her life, including Nate’s Seafood Restaurant, Home Depot, Sam’s Club and most recently, Lowe’s. Sandi was overwhelmed by the generosity and most appreciative to those who provided moral support and those who donated to her GoFundMe to help with her medical and living expenses. Sadly, the remaining funds will be used on final expenses.

Sandi is survived by her ex-husband Dave Gaona, her children David A. Gaona and Maxwell Gaona, and her siblings Carol Shore Casey and John Shore. She is also survived by her aunt Virginia Scherler, her niece Erin Casey Weber, her longtime best friend Ruthie Williams Young, various cousins and her beloved kitty “Baby Girl”. She was preceded in death by her father, Albert Shore, and her mother Carleeta Shore. She will be missed greatly by all who loved her.

For Celebration of Life info, see previous post.

06/01/2023

NOTE: DO NOT WAZE TO NAVIGATE! Meadowstone Ct is off Keller Spring.

Celebration of Life honoring the Life of Sandi Shore Gaona will be held on Saturday at 2:00 p.m., January 14, 2023, at the Country Villa Clubhouse at 2708 Meadowstone Ct. in Carrollton, TX. We will gather first for the officiated portion of the Celebration then share cake, coffee and tea to reminisce special times about Sandi and share stories of our times together. Sandi’s favorite colors were pink and yellow so please feel free to honor her by wearing these colors.

The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses and other social work and medical personnel at Texas Presbyterian Plano ICU who took such good care of her in the last weeks of her life. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of your choice or to your local A.A. chapter.

If you plan on coming, please give a thumbs up in the comments below so we can plan accordingly. On behalf of Sandi’s family, I hope those who loved Sandi will please join us in her honor!
(Please email any questions to [email protected]).

24/10/2022

It’s still so hard to believe that our Sandi is gone! Her family has decided to hold a memorial/celebration of life some time in January, preferably the first or second week depending on availability of venue. Her son Max had the great idea to honor his mom by wearing something yellow since everyone associates Sandi’s sunny personality with that bright warm color 💛 I know she also loved pink so we’ll be sure to keep that in mind as well in our planning. If you have any pictures with Sandi you’d like to share with everyone , please post them here. We might like to use some for the service. Thanks again for all the well wishes and please standby for more info coming soon. 🙏❤️

15/10/2022

Our girl Sandi was set free from all pain and all earthly torment early this morning. Sandi had spent the last 10 days in the ICU and was moved into inpatient hospice late yesterday afternoon. We were hoping that being moved into more comfortable setting she would have been able to have visitors (including her kitty). She knew y’all were rooting for her but she couldn’t overcome the enormous physical challenges she faced which included end stage cirrhosis and COPD. Sandi was blown away by everyone’s support and contributions to her fund. She couldn’t believe people cared so much and I’m so grateful she was able to have this awareness. A memorial service will be held at some point but no details yet. My heart is breaking along with everyone else’s who loved our funny, sassy, one-of-kind Sandi Shore Gaona. Prayers up for Sandi. 🙏❤️🙏

04/10/2022

UPDATE 10/03: Sandi had to go back into the ICU Saturday morning due to respiratory problems and had to be intubated once more. Of course they have to keep her sedated to reduce agitation from having tube down her throat. When I first arrived yesterday and she heard me talking to nurse in hallway, she got excited and tried to talk and they wound up giving her heavier sedative to get her settled. I’m sure it must be so frustrating not to mention extremely uncomfortable for her. I’m trying to stay positive. The nurse tells us that she must be able to withstand a dialing down of the ventilator in order to wean her off of it. But so far, she hasn’t been able to tolerate the initial adjustment. My Google research tells me that the majority of cases on vent is 4-5 days. Second group are those requiring it 10-14 days or more. Let’s hope and pray Sandi’s in the first group! Today was Day No. 3. Keep the prayers coming y’all! It’s been a rocky road this past year for our dear Sandi Shore and she needs all the love and support she can muster! Here we are in one of our FaceTime sessions mid August (she’s still cracking me up!). I know she misses her Baby Girl. And I know I miss My Girl. 💜🙏💜🐈‍⬛👩‍🎤
P.S. I meant to let y’all know I read many of y’all’s well wishes from this page and she’s aware of your love and support. Thanks to everyone who’s sent prayers, support and donations to her GFM!
https://gofund.me/9018f5bb

https://gofund.me/9018f5bb

23/09/2022

UPDATE 9/27: Sandi made it through the final phase of surgery today where they finished up and closed her up. She’d been on a wound vac following initial procedure bc they couldn’t finish it all in one session. So she’s been intubated since the first surgery on Sunday night and will continue to be for another 2-3 days 😣 They’re keeping her sedated so she’ll be more comfortable. Not sure how much longer she’ll be in the hospital but it’s not likely she’ll get to take her trip to Cali or return to work when she’d planned to mid-October. 😔 She’s been thru too much this year! First cancer, then fighting that battle during chemo (dreadful), shoulder got messed up during first surgery, then she had to have appendix out but not before it burst, causing her to become septic, 9 weeks later surgery for perforated stomach and intestine (likely caused during appendix surgery as it was so complex)mand became septic again. And MAJOR pain throughout entire ordeal 😫Poor gal can’t seem to catch a break. If it were JUST the cancer, she’d be in good shape bc she’s now cancer free. So that’s the BEST news but she’s got a long road of recovery ahead of her. Please consider making another donation to her GFM —> https://gofund.me/b3e7cd74
All these additional medical issues preventing her from returning to work will set her back financially so anything you can do to help her would be appreciated! Thanks y’all 💜🙏💜

UPDATE 9/26: Checked on our girl just now (3:45pm) and her condition continues to be stable, still in the ICU and no changes from my last check-in this morning. She’s still heavily sedated and on breathing tube. Nurse said she may look awake even though not really and probably won’t remember any of it. I will keep y’all posted as more info becomes available. Thanks y’all! Keep those high-powered prayers coming please and thank you! 🙏💜🙏

UPDATE 9/25: Sandi back at the hospital and having emergency surgery (probably started about 11:45pm Sunday after being rushed to ER only hours earlier). for perforated stomach and lower intestine. Surgery anywhere from 2-6 hrs depending on what laparoscopy reveals and then start cutting through all that scar tissue again to fix the perforations. Poor thing has been through so much! Earlier she began to have hypothermia (temp was only 93!) and that’s when it was time to call 911. She’ll have a breathing tube when she wakes up and keep it a few hours and will also be recovering ICU due to her critical condition. Sandi was weaker than I’ve ever seen her today and that’s including the times chemo kicked her butt! But we all know Shore’s a badass and if anyone can kick butt back, she can!

UPDATE 9/24: Not sure what next steps are but apparently the gall bladder was not the culprit behind all her pain and more likely has to do with her liver. She left the hospital earlier this evening because she didn’t think they were doing anything to help her and basically told her that nothing would happen untilMonday anyway. It’s bad enough trying to get rest in the hospital and with no AC in her room (only room not working and no maintenance on-site till Monday supposedly). So she decided she could be just a little less miserable at home with AC than staying there without it. She’s extremely weak, in great pain and baffled that doctors haven’t figured it out yet. Please keep her in your thoughts and I’ll try to keep y’all posted. Thanks for your support! 🙏❤️🙏

9/22/22: Prayers requested for our dear Sandi. Took her to ER yesterday and she’s likely having gall bladder surgery later today. She’s been in so much pain ever since appendix removed and now this! Poor thing. Liver not in good shape. More later. In the meantime, please keep the prayers coming! Pink hair rocks, Sandi, but we need you to get well! ❤️🙏💜🙏❤️

21/07/2022

Ok I’m just now leaving Sandi’s hospital room. Her oncologist stopped by while I was there and said the words we’ve been longing to hear: Sandi is cancer free! 🎉❤️🙏 Unfortunately her recent appendectomy has presented complications resulting in a few more days in the hospital. But once she recovers from this surgery, she should start feeling better very gradually. She’s still 6-12 months out but doc said every week should bring noticeable improvement. Thanks all for your prayers, support and good wishes! We will need to celebrate when she’s able. I’m so happy my bff has won the battle so far! Color me “grateful” ❤️🙏❤️

16/07/2022

Update: Our girl has been through a great deal of pain since her Wednesday surgery, but she’s been through a lot (unexpected additional incision to remove part of bowel) and doctor ruled out anything else causing the pain other than post surgery side effects from anesthesia and probably from having her innards jostled and poked. She thinks she’ll be discharged sometime tomorrow. She also said will have to wait a few weeks for results of appendix biopsy. We’re praying for good results. In the meantime, we focus on her recuperation and speedy recovery from surgery. Hopefully that will be much sooner than later! Here she is at my house end of May (with my Sukha). I remember that night she was experiencing a lot of abdominal pain. Poor thing, I just hate seeing her in pain. 😓 I know Sandi is very grateful for everyone’s support! 🙏❤️🙏

14/07/2022

Todays update: Sandi did not have a good night last night due to constant pain from having appendix removed. They also removed part of bowel so there was an unexpected incision made. I’m sitting with her right now and she’s having constant pain with intermittent extreme pain. Dilaudid doesn’t even seem to do much except give a 15 minute respite. In the meantime, just waiting on results of appendix biopsy (appendix was inflamed and 3x normal size!). Please send healing energy! 🙏❤️🙏

13/07/2022

Update on Sandi: she had her appendix removed today and apparently did well. Haven’t talked to her yet but she’s in recovery. We’re hoping the lymphoma didn’t spread from appendix. Will update when we find out. She appreciates y’all’s prayers! 🙏❤️🙏

02/06/2022

Dinner at Saltgrass tonight. She needs her protein before heading into her LAST chemo tomorrow. Our girl has been pretty stressed out this time around because she knows that after tomorrow we have to wait several weeks before finding out whether the chemo worked or not. Asking for power prayers to ease her mind and lift her spirits! Thanks for your support! ❤️

11/05/2022

Sandi's all set for her 5th chemo treatment tomorrow -- after that only one more to go! That girl has been "through the wringers" but she's got a very positive attitude, and that, along with her snarky sense of humor, might just be the winning ticket that gets her through this nightmare! All we can do is hope and pray that the chemo treatments work. She had a painful procedure today to diagnose problem with her shoulder and why part of her mouth is numb. She googled the procedure and it said "painful" -- she thinks it should be updated to "extremely painful"! She will undergo an MRI to get further answers. Her doc keeps telling her "numbers looking good" so it appears we're going in the right direction. Please keep the prayers up for Sandi and feel free to "donate to the cause"!

05/04/2022

Greetings Prayer Warriors! Sandi had her 3rd round of chemo this past Thursday 3/31 marking her HALFWAY point in this part of her journey. We’re praying for continued shrinkage of the tumors (recent PEt scan revealed significant reductions). She’s also begun to produce her own platelets which is another positive sign she’s moving in the right direction. So YAY to all of this! 😄

Now the downside to all of this is that it’s taken its toll on her physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. This last round was a much stronger dose, and she’s experiencing every possible side-effect on the checklist of chemo side effects. 😩😢 Plus medical bills are starting to come in and the last thing she needs to worry about is money. If you’re able to help out please click on the link.

Thanks to everyone’s donations of time, money, moral support, wigs (thanks PK! 🙏😘), food (😘 🙏CMcC) good thoughts, healing California vibes (😉😎🙏😘) and positive energy! MORE of the same is needed NOW to lift our girl up. She needs another big shot of support bc y’all have no idea how much your support has meant to Sandi! 🙏❤️🙏

https://gofund.me/b3e7cd74

Hi. I'm Sandi Shore Gaona's very best friend (others might try to claim that spot, but it's mine!… Ruth Young needs your support for Help Sandi During Chemo

07/03/2022

Okay Team Sandi, we need fresh prayers up 🙏 for our girl who’s scheduled for her 2nd chemo round this Thursday 3/10.

After her first round, she felt pretty good for about 3-4 days, then started feeling achy, fatigued and a little nauseous. Said she’s got plenty of food (thank you, Cathy Miller McCoppin 🙏💙, there’s a special place in Heaven for people like you). Even though she’s got all this scrumptious food to eat, she barely has an appetite 😕 Hopefully she’ll get something down cuz she’ll need her strength. 💪 She remains in pretty good spirits despite these troubles and thankfully has retained her sense of humor. She sure inspires me! 😇. She’s ever so grateful for all the support people have shown and continue to show up in a way that really does lift her spirits. So thanks, y’all!

And tomorrow my friend of almost 50 years, who has had long gorgeous blond hair since she was a kid, is going to get it all cut off. I see cute hats on the horizon!

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-sandi-during-chemo/share

27/02/2022

Sandi was discharged yesterday after 15 days at Plano Presby! She said the nurses’ care was excellent and they were sad to see her go! One of the nurses told her “If all of our patients were as upbeat and funny as you, I’d be running to get to work!” That’s our girl! 😂 She is having some discomfort with the incision from where the lymph node was removed and her carotid artery is poking out 😳 Her shoulder pain subsided for the first time in 6 mos. after placement of a $70 Lydocaine patch today! So that’s A BiG YAY4ToDAY!! 😃 She’s got her own blood pressure monitor now and will be having someone over 3x week to check her numbers. Next chemo is scheduled for 3/10. For the most part, she’s feeling pretty good all things considered, tires easily as she hasn’t gotten her strength back yet. Thanks to all who have donated to the cause and to those who can still help out. Please keep the prayers coming because we still have a long way to go — 5 more chemo treatments. We ❤️ Sandi!

23/02/2022

Update of 2/22/22: Sandi talked to her Dr. today and said everything looks good so far and has even started producing her own white blood cells. She’ll still need more transfusions in next couple of weeks. Next chemo is 3/10. Appointment this Monday for blood work, injections, etc. Final biopsy results could take weeks. Five more chemo sessions and then we will find out if it’s working. It’s a long, slow process and will require a great deal of support—moral, emotional, material, financial and spiritual!

Thanks to everyone who’s donated to the GoFundMe account and to those still planning to help out, click on the link below. Sandi is completely blown away by all the support and love everyone has shown and appreciates it more than y’all will ever know. 🙏❤️🙏❤️ https://gofund.me/b3e7cd74

Prayers up for Sandi!

Hi. I'm Sandi Shore Gaona's very best friend (others might try to claim that spot, but it's mine!… Ruth Young needs your support for Help Sandi During Chemo

20/02/2022

Here's a video from Sandi's son, Max, which will probably make Sandi's day a little nicer . . .

19/02/2022

Today’s update 2/18/22. Sandi had her first chemo treatment starting last night about 9pm which lasted about 8 hrs. It was a lighter dosage to start out. She seemed to tolerate it pretty well and was in pretty good spirits when I spoke to her earlier today. She wanted me to let y’all know how much she appreciates everyone’s prayers, posts and for helping out as she undergoes this courageous battle. She’s going to have to stay at the hospital probably till next Thursday so they can safely monitor her. Laurie Leonard I delivered your package to her today 😀🙏. Thanks to everyone who’s already donated to the GoFundMe and for those who plan to help out! She’s gonna need all the help she can get so she can focus on recovery and nothing else. Prayers up for Sandi 🙏💜

16/02/2022

Today’s update on Sandi Shore Gaona … praying hard for my bff 🙏💜🙏

16/02/2022

Damn y’all, life sure is a roller coaster. One day good news, the next not so much. Today Sandi’s diagnosis has changed to Large B Cell Lymphoma which is not the direction we were hoping. She’s still having the mediport placed and lymph node removed in surgery tomorrow, but since the cancer is very fast-growing and aggressive she’ll have to start chemotherapy ASAP.

She had hoped to be going home at least for a few days on Thursday but that’s not happening due to this turn of events. Please continue to send your healing, caring and loving thoughts, prayers and good vibes in her direction. In the meantime, I’ll be praying hard for my bff 🙏💜🙏

15/02/2022

Sandi update 2/14/22: THE GOOD NEWS “NOT TERMINAL” 😀😀😀
Diagnosis is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma B Cell. Plan is to have surgery on Wednesday to remove lymph node and depending on her numbers following surgery will determine next step. It’s treatable with chemo but she’ll have to stay in hospital for treatment since her immune system is so compromised. Not sure when she’ll be released from hospital but it looks like she’ll be there the rest of this week. I’ll update as more info becomes available. Keep those positive vibes coming y’all! 😃 ❤️🙏— Ruthie

13/02/2022

Today’s update: Sandi Shore Gaona is still at Texas Health Plano Presbyterian, 6200 W. Parker Rd. Room 681c, Plano TX 75093. She is in some pain and looking forward to getting results from spinal tap either tomorrow or Tuesday. Unfortunately her “numbers are down” on her blood work. They came up after transfusion but then dropped again. This means that her white blood cells are diminished to the point her immune system is extremely compromised. For this reason, she’s not allowed any visitors due to risk of infection. We FaceTimed earlier today and she said as much as she appreciates everyone’s care and concern, the texts are a bit overwhelming for her so please use this page to post messages. That goes for phone calls too. She appreciates it but she’s still trying to wrap her brain around what’s happening as it seems to be happening awful fast. She’ll be at hospital all week and since we can’t see her in person, you can always send flowers, cards anything to lift her spirits 😇 Feel free to message me on messenger if you need to. Thanks everyone for your continued prayers! 💜🙏💜

13/02/2022

Sandi update as of 2/12/22, she’s at Plano Presby Rm 681c and underwent spinal tap Friday morning to check bone marrow for cancer. Results in a few days. She said she slept much better last night. She’ll probably be at the hospital about a week.

Please no visitors without checking in with me or her brother John first. We’re both on Facebook and you can direct message either one of us on messenger.

Thanks for all prayers! Sandi sends her love. Here’s her precious Baby Girl praying for her mommy.

❤️🙏❤️

12/02/2022